Q. What's a typical day like for a pharmacist, if there is a typical day?

A. In a retail setting, you typically fill prescription orders, make sure that insurance covers the medication, and check for drug allergies, drug interactions, and correct dosing. We also call some patients to see if they are taking their medications properly, and we provide medication counseling over the phone.

Q. What's the best part of your job?

A. I enjoy knowing my patients. When a customer knows the pharmacist, I find it really makes a difference. They trust your opinion and you get to physically see the difference in how they are feeling when they come in. Just a matter of conversational talking with a patient uncovers medication issues that you wouldn't normally find if you didn't get to know them well.

Q. So you think more patients should get to know their pharmacists?

A. There is a whole new area of pharmacy called Medication Therapy Management, where the patient actually comes into the pharmacy for an individual sit-down visit with the pharmacist to review their medication profile to address medication-related problems. The results have been so successful in resolving medication-related problems (resulting in a decrease in hospital visits in some states) that insurance companies are beginning to pay for this service. This is important because in the elderly, medication-related problems account for more than a quarter of hospital admissions, with adverse drug events and noncompliance to medication being the most frequent causes.

Q. What's the most challenging part of your job?

A. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.

Q. What are the behind-the-scenes details that go into filling a prescription?

A. My technicians take the prescription and ask for information on current allergies and the patient's address, phone number and insurance. They enter the information into the system so insurance can be billed and a label and receipt can print. This is done after all allergy, dosing and interaction scans are done. The medication is counted and labeled. Then the pharmacist performs a final check, scan and counseling on medications before they are given to the patient.

Q. Is there anything about your job that people might find surprising?

A. We have to adhere to state and federal laws and insurance policies on how a prescription needs to be written and dispensed, otherwise we are not allowed to fill it or it won't be covered by the insurance company. This is the area patients are most surprised at and I have to explain to patients most often. Sometimes I have to call the physician if something doesn't appear correct. A lot of detail goes into making sure each one is adherent to those rules. A lot of thought and vigilance — scanning for drug interactions, duplicate therapy, allergies in the patient profile — goes into the process. Then there's counting, filling and rechecking for accuracy on the bottle and hardcopy prescription — a lot of little things that add up to more time while the patient is standing there. I find that customers are very nice and appreciative when I actually explain the process to them and give them an estimate of how long it will take.

Q. What advice do you have for students who are thinking of pursuing a career as a pharmacist?

A. Make sure you like science, chemistry and math. I think I was surprised at how much math there was in pharmacy school. Luckily I found I was a very good math student! Also, be caring. To quote Dr. Seuss: "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."